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In this episode, we hear of events that bring good news to the lady, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 51, penned by Kundriyanaar. Set in the coastal regions of ‘Neythal’, the verse speaks in the voice of confidante to the lady, allaying the lady’s anxiety about the delay in the man’s return to seek her hand in marriage.
கூன் முள் முண்டகக் கூர்ம் பனி மா மலர்
நூல் அறு முத்தின் காலொடு பாறித்
துறைதொறும் பரக்கும் தூ மணற் சேர்ப்பனை
யானும் காதலென்; யாயும் நனி வெய்யள்;
எந்தையும் கொடீஇயர்வேண்டும்;
அம்பல் ஊரும் அவனொடு மொழிமே.
Something that has spread far and wide is the subtle thought that emerges here! The first few words ‘கூன் முள் முண்டகக் கூர்ம் பனி மா மலர்’ illustrates the ‘dark-hued, deeply cool flowers of the water-thorn plant with curved thorns’, the seashore plant that we recently encountered in Kurunthogai 49. ‘நூல் அறு முத்தின்’ brings forth the visually aesthetic image of ‘pearls snapping from a string’. When we see the phrase ‘தூ மணற் சேர்ப்பன்’ meaning ‘the lord of the shore with pure sands’, the heart does yearn to experience the unpolluted, pristine sands of the past! Shortly thereafter, we see mention of three individuals in ‘யானும்’ meaning ‘I too’, ‘யாயும்’ meaning ‘mother too’ and ‘எந்தையும்’ meaning ‘father too’. Ending with the words ‘அம்பல் ஊரும் அவனொடு மொழிமே’ meaning ‘the rumour-filled town also speaks of you with him’, the verse beckons us within.
Scattered pearls and moist flowers seem to be singing a unique seashore song! The context reveals that the man and lady had been leading a love relationship when the man parted away to gather wealth towards their wedding. The lady languished in worry as he was delayed in his return. Seeing her friend’s troubled face, the confidante says to the lady, “The cool, dark flowers of the ‘mundakkam’ plant with curved thorns, akin to pearls snapping away from a string, pushed by the wind, lie scattered all over the shore in the pristine sands of the man’s land! I like him; Mother adores him very much; Father desires to offer you in marriage; This slanderous town also talks about him and you, as being together!” With these words, the confidante assures the lady that everything around the lady pointed to her marriage with the man soon!
How could flowers lying on the shore and people gossiping about the lady’s relationship with the man lead to happy circumstances for the lady? To understand, let’s listen to the confidante’s words closely. She first describes the man’s shores, where plucked by the hands of the wind, the flowers of the ‘neer mulli’ plant lie scattered everywhere, just like how a string of pearls that has split open would lie. What a picturesque simile connecting flowers and pearls! From the description of the man’s shore, the confidante mentions that she likes the man the lady prefers. Seems like it’s something pretty important to the lady to have the confidante’s acceptance of her love relationship! Then, the confidante talks about how mother too likes the lady’s choice. What’s nuanced here is how the confidante talks about the lady’s mother, as if she were her own mother, and this goes on to show the deep bonding between these two friends! This is further stressed in how the confidante refers to the lady’s father as ‘my father’ and says how he too approves of the man and is now desirous of accepting the man’s proposal to marry his daughter. With the words that their uproarious town too was gossiping about the lady’s relationship with the man, the confidante concludes.
Talking about her own acceptance, the mother’s and father’s approval of the man is fine but how could the town gossiping be something that’s good for the lady? To reach that, we have to dwell a second longer in that description of the man’s land. The flowers that should be picked with much difficulty were now lying to be easily picked up on the man’s shore and like that, all the rumours in town have set things in motion such that the man’s marriage with the lady would happen seamlessly and inevitably, the confidante implies! From this, we gather an understanding about how an event perceived as a negative thing, the gossiping of the townsfolk, can be the very thing that can lead to the lady’s happiness in the long run. The verse seems to highlight the wisdom of life that even circumstances that we do not want and that which worries us, may turn out to be the reason for some future joy, which our minds are not capable of perceiving in the now!
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